The Rainbow and the Sickle
by roisaber
Summary: Equestria suffers a grevious economic crisis in the wake of sudden collapse of the stock exchange, and things quickly go from bad to worse as the threads of trade wear thin under the stress. A mysterious stranger arrives to propose solutions for the growing destitution of ponies in the Kingdom. But are his prescriptions really the answer Equestria is looking for?
1. October Surprise

Rarity was, by nature, a morning pony. The clarity of early morning light spoke to her aesthetic sense, and she found it a daylong source of inspiration when tasked with designing dresses and fashion accessories for her numerous clients. There was something special about the way it shimmered when it illuminated the leaves of the tree that housed Rarity's workshop. Looking forward to the last of autumn's days before the cold breath of winter descended on Ponyville, Rarity yawned once, stretched her legs, and clambered out of bed. Opal glared at her from one corner.

Rarity might be a morning pony, but she considered it _uncivilized, darling_ to get to work without first enjoying a leisurely breakfast. With the neigh-infallible precision of an expert dressmaker, she used her magic to put a kettle of water on the stove and crack several eggs into a pan. Opal followed at her heels, mewing for attention.

"All right, all right, _darling_," Rarity gasped. "I'll get your breakfast!"

The unicorn rifled through her cabinets, her horn glowing and sparkling with purple energy, until she found Opal's bowl and cat food. It was the work of a moment to fill the cat's bowl and put it on the floor. Opal immediately plunged in, her owner immediately forgotten. Rarity went outside to the porch to collect her morning newspaper, and she was appalled by the bold, stark letters of the headline.

**Canterlot Industrial Index Down 1,100 Points**, blared the print.

Rarity gasped. A surge of dismay shot down her spine like a lightning bolt. She'd been investing for years in the Canterlot stock exchange, and most of her carefully grown savings was held in trust by a Canterlot hedge fund and invested in dozens of different blue chip companies that were considered eminently trustworthy by a consensus of economists. Her breakfast was immediately forgotten, and Rarity took the paper into the kitchen to read the story with an increasingly heavy heart.

The rest of the news was not encouraging. The Equestrian Bit was down 8% against the Saddle Arabian Riyal and the Mustangian Tugrik. Rarity's heart fluttered in her chest; she felt sick to her stomach. With the Equestrian Bit losing so much value against its peers, imports would immediately become much more expensive, and she relied on shipments of exotic silks and fabrics to create her dashing ensembles. Blind with panic, she went to her telephone to immediately sell whatever remained of her life savings. Her eggs started to burn on the stove.

Rarity had never, ever, ever needed to wait more than fifteen seconds for a secretary at Fancy Pants' famously successful hedge fund to pick up the phone and connect her to an investment counselor. After five minutes, she was still tapping her feet against the floor nervously, while the eggs cooked black and affixed themselves permanently to the surface of the pan. The scorched eggs filled the kitchen with acrid smoke that Rarity hardly noticed while she waited for someone to help her. Finally a frazzled secretary came on the line.

"Fancy Pants Investments, can I help you?"

Rarity could hear the strain in the poor pony's voice, but she felt no better herself.

Rarity demanded, "I need to speak to Fancy Pants immediately!"

"I'm sorry, but you're the two hundredth caller in the queue," the other pony said apologetically. "It would be unconscionable for me to keep an important client waiting that long."

Rarity couldn't help but snap at the girl.

"If I'm such an important client, why am I _two hundredth_ in line?"

"I'm very sorry, Miss. I can take a message if you'd like?"

"Don't bother!" Rarity fumed, and then slammed the phone back down in its receiver.

For a few seconds, Rarity felt herself carried away into a strange Samadhi of total calm. She was helpless now, borne forward on the tides of impersonal Fate, without any tool or method to save herself.

Then she remembered that when she signed up with the hedge fund, Fancy Pants provided her with a complex series of codes that would allow her to execute her own trades over the phone. With a pained groan, she went into her closet to rifle through long-forgotten paperwork until she found the pamphlet that would guide her through the process. When she was finally triumphant in finding it, she called the number that would let her access her account, and started working through the process of selling off her shares company by company.

The pan burned all the way through, and Opal fled to a far corner of Rarity's upstairs apartment.

After an agonizing hour navigating labyrinthine phone trees, Rarity finally succeeded in selling off her shares. Some quick math indicated the severity of the situation – in total, she was 13% poorer than she'd been just one day before. Incredible. How could it happen? Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. For the first time in ages, Rarity remembered where she was. She went over, and, with a bitter sigh, opened up to discover the town's deliverypony.

"Miss Rarity?" he prompted after a minute.

"Oh! Yes, darling?" Rarity answered mechanically.

"I have some bad news from Fiona's Fabrics, Miss. They're out of business, as of this morning. You won't be receiving your shipment of – " here he checked his ledger, " – Shimmering Butterfly Silk."

"But that's impossible! I paid in advance!"

"I'm sorry. It's something about the market? They didn't really tell me the details, just that they were shutting down for good."

Rarity blanched. "But – my client already paid _me_ for the dress! I needed that silk!"

"Perhaps you could source it from somewhere else? I'm very sorry, Miss – I'm just the delivery pony."

"Thank you. Good day." Rarity shut the door on him without another word.

Impossible. Unbelievable. Rarity finally noticed the pan still on the stove, and she quickly shut off the burner and looked ruefully at the sad remains of her eggs – and the ruined pan. It was one thing after another today.

For the next hour Rarity panicked, fretted, and worried in equal measure. She tore her meticulously organized workshop apart, looking for a few stray bolts of Shimmering Butterfly Silk in hopes that she could find enough to complete Sunset Aurora's half-assembled dress. Nothing turned up.

Rarity considered her options. She could try asking her friends, but would any of them be able to help? Rainbow Dash was as likely to have a bolt of fabric onhand as she was to have a collection of My Little Human dress-up dolls. The same went for Applejack. Pinkie Pie had an interest in virtually everything _except _for sewing, and Twilight Sparkle could lecture her for six straight hours about the properties of Shimmering Butterfly Silk without actually possessing any. With a start, she realized that Fluttershy also was a commendable sewer, and was her best bet for coming by the much-needed materials. She rang the shy pony, but nobody answered the phone. Rarity resolved to go to her house and knock down the door with her hooves if she had to.

In Ponyville, the normally lighthearted and industrious atmosphere had turned distinctly cold. There were very few ponies on the street, and Rarity guessed that many of them, like her, were desperately trying to get in touch with their brokers. Investing in the Canterlot Industrial stock exchange was the primary source of retirement income for many ponies, and they must each be feeling the sting of losing a huge chunk of their total worth literally overnight. A few ponies were arguing outside Ponyville Café, trying to determine who to blame for the sudden drop. Was it greedy corporatists? Was it a corrupt and _laissez-faire_ monarchy? Was it unbridled socialism? It made Rarity sick to her stomach to see how fast the ponies turned on their own in times of worry.

Rarity gently knocked on Fluttershy's door with her hoof.

"Oh, Fluttershy, darling, are you home?"

No one answered.

"Fluttershy?"

A quiet, mewling voice answered her, "She's not here."

Rarity inwardly rolled her eyes.

"Fluttershy, it's me, Rarity. Could you please open the door?"

Slowly and tentatively, Fluttershy walked to her door.

Unlike Rarity, Fluttershy wasn't much of an investor, and while she got the news of the precipitous drop in the exchange it didn't affect her directly. On the other hand, she could sense the foreboding aura looming over the town. It frightened her, and she wanted to shut herself away until the storm blew over. But Rarity was a close friend and a fellow possessor of an Element of Harmony, and Fluttershy couldn't simply ignore her.

"Yes?" the yellow pegasus squeaked, opening the door.

"Fluttershy, darling, I have a really important favor to ask of you. One of my suppliers went out of business and left me without an important material I need to complete one of my projects. You wouldn't happen to have some Shimmering Butterfly Silk on hand, would you? I could pay, of course."

Fluttershy looked down at the floor. "Sorry, Rarity. I don't think I do. If I find any, I'll be sure to give you a call."

Rarity sighed. It was a long-shot to begin with. "Thanks anyway. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, thanks. Can I please go back inside?" Fluttershy asked plaintively.

"O-kay, darling. Just call if you need anything, okay?"

When the other pony had gone inside, Rarity cursed inwardly, surprising herself. If she couldn't source the silk, she was going to have to make a _very_ unpleasant phone call to a _very_ important client.

Back in her workshop, Rarity turned everything inside and out one more time, but once again came up with her hooves empty. She even went into her own closet, searching for a dress she could cannibalize for materials. Eventually, she had to give up and face the music; Fiona's Fabrics was the only source of the precious silk she knew of in all Equestria. It was produced by a rare butterfly that only lived in Ponynesia, and she had no contacts and no resources overseas to which she could appeal. Fiona's Fabrics was the biggest importer of overseas fabrics in all of Equestria, and they'd somehow managed to go out of business all in one morning. Rarity didn't dare to wonder, yet, what this would mean for future projects. Her heart sank to the bottom of her hooves when she realized what she had to do – call her client, and say that the dress was off. This would be terrible for her professional reputation in Canterlot.

"Eryes," Sunset Aurora answered.

Rarity took a deep breath. "Sunset, this is Rarity, darling. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Eryes?" Sunset prompted.

"I'm afraid that my supplier for Shimmering Butterfly Silk went out of business, and they took both my Bits and my special order down with them. I don't have another supplier for the Silk, so we need to talk about how to go forward."

For the first time in Rarity's memory, Sunset Aurora's upper class demeanor slipped somewhat.

"What!? You're not going to be able to finish my dress? I paid in full already! I _needed_ that dress for _this weekend._"

"I know, Miss Aurora," Rarity stammered. "I'm very sorry. My supplier left me completely in the lurch. I've been thinking about other options for the fabric, and I have a few suggestions that might-"

"How could you let this happen?" Sunset Aurora demanded.

"I… I…" Rarity felt as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

"Huwee will be demanding a refund in full, of course," Aurora said, recovering her haughty tone.

Rarity felt a great emptiness growing in the pit of her stomach. "Yes, of course, Miss Aurora."

With that, the other pony hung up her phone.

Rarity ate a listless lunch, not because she was hungry, but in an attempt to fill the emptiness that seemed to settle in her belly like a lead bezoar. Sunset Aurora was very famous in Canterlot's fashion circles, and word of Rarity's failure to deliver would certainly get around. After finishing her unappetizing meal, Rarity made a halfhearted attempt to clean up her ransacked workshop. It was slow going; she must have thrown absolutely everything on the floor and then picked it up and thrown in on the floor again in her mad search for a spare bolt of Shimmering Butterfly Silk, but it had been to no avail. Just when she thought her heart had hit its lowest ebb, her phone started ringing.

"Yes?" she asked wearily.

"Rarity, it's me, Twilight Sparkle." The other pony sounded like she was going to pieces. "I need all you girls to meet my at my house in one hour, okay?"

"Okay, Twilight. Are you okay, darling?"

"Just come."

Rarity wanted to believe that things couldn't get worse.

Rarity hoped that things wouldn't get worse.

At the appointed time, Rarity made her way to Twilight's library, and discovered that her five best friends were already there. Even Fluttershy showed up, though she seemed to be almost hiding in a corner, as if she wanted to dematerialize forever. Applejack had a grim look on her face and even Pinkie Pie seemed subdued; only Rainbow Dash seemed characteristically unaffected by the pall that hung over the group. As for Twilight Sparkle, the alicorn looked positively heartbroken. Spike was nowhere to be seen, but Rarity imagined she could occasionally hear a few broken sobs coming from an upstairs bedroom.

"Twilight, what's wrong?" Rarity finally demanded.

"I've got some really bad news, girls," Twilight sniffed. "I've been recalled to Canterlot immediately to assist Princess Celestia in managing this crisis."

"Oh no," Fluttershy said.

Pinkie Pie said, "Does that mean you're _leaving_ us, Twilight!?"

"I'm afraid so, girls. Princess Celestia said that she really needs my help. I don't know what else to do."

"Tell her no!" Rainbow suggested vehemently. "Quit your job as a Princess if you have to! We're the Elements of Harmony – unless we stick together, all of Equestria will be in danger."

"But being a Princess is my duty, Rainbow Dash. I know it's hard, but at a time like this, I can't put myself first."

The conversation was broken by a sudden, keening wail from Spike on the second floor.

"I have to follow Celestia's orders," Twilight Sparkle announced sadly.

"Oh, but _darling_," Rarity breathed with a sigh.

Twilight Sparkle looked at the unicorn expectantly, but Rarity found that she had no answer.

Applejack asked, "Can't we come too?"

"No," Twilight shook her head sadly. "You all have jobs to do, and families to support, don't you? Applejack, do you think Sweet Apple Acres could be half as successful without your determination? What about you, Pinkie Pie – Mr. and Mrs. Cake rely on you. Rarity has her workshop and Rainbow Dash ensures that rain and sun both fall on the crops at the proper time. And where would Fluttershy's animals be without her attention? I'm the only one that doesn't matter. It doesn't take an alicorn to look after a few musty old books."

Twilight forced out a laugh.

"Don't say that!" Pinkie cried, torn between anger and dismay.

"Before I go, I have something I need to give each of you."

Twilight's horn glowed, and the alicorn reached up into a secret compartment in her ceiling and dispelled a carefully crafted shield that protected the contents from any intrusion. She took a small chest out of the ceiling and brought it down to the floor in front of the other five. They watched curiously as she unsealed the lock and sprung it open, to reveal the Elements of Harmony.

"I'm going to give you all your Elements back," Twilight explained. "Even if we're far away from one another, if you get in to trouble, maybe they can still do something to help."

"Twilight, don't leave us!" Applejack said, a plea rather than a demand.

"I'm sorry, girls. I can't abandon my duty to the Kingdom."

The six looked at one another, unable to meet each others' eyes.

Finally, Twilight called out, "Loyalty!"

With that, the alicorn used her magic to clasp the necklace around Rainbow Dash's neck.

"Generosity!"

And then did the same for Rarity.

"Honesty!"

"Kindness!"

"Laughter!" she cried, fitting Pinkie Pie with her proper element.

The other five ponies, now wearing the necklaces that symbolized their eternal bonds of friendship, looked expectantly at Twilight Sparkle.

"And finally," the alicorn said quietly. "The element of… Magic."

With a small flash, Twilight put the glittering diadem on the crown of her head. The six looked at one another, not knowing what to say or what to think.

"I have to leave on the midnight train, but I was hoping that you five would stay with me for awhile before I go. Princess Celestia told me she'd provide me with everything I need, so I don't even have much to pack," Twilight laughed, uncertain that her voice wouldn't crack with grief.

"Of course we'll stay with you, darling!" Rarity insisted.

And so, the six threw a bittersweet party for the departure of their dear friend. Applejack got some lightly fermented cider from her farm, but the mild alcohol content that would usually make them jolly now just made them pensive and introspective. Even Pinkie couldn't muster more than a few forced dances. Even though Canterlot was only an eight hour ride by train, that was still a great distance when compared to a few blocks away, and all of them were deeply affected by Twilight's sudden recall to Celestia's side. They'd always known, in the back of their minds, that they'd each probably go on to get married and build a family and a household some day, but they were shocked for the day for Twilight to move on to have come so soon and so suddenly.

"I'll come home to Ponyville as soon as my duties are complete," Twilight Sparkle insisted.

Finally, it came time for Twilight Sparkle to pack a single suitcase, a small fraction of her belongings, and head out to the Ponyville train station. Spike pulled himself together and then began bawling again immediately afterwards. Even a kiss on the cheek from Rarity couldn't pull him out of his funk.

"You can stay here, and look after the library, you know," Twilight offered.

Spike replied with a mucous-clogged sniffle, "But then I'd have to be away from _you_, Twilight."

Twilight started filling her luggage with mementos and other sentimental objects she'd collected over her time in Equestria. A dress made by Rarity went in first, followed by a jar of rare thunderhead collected by Rainbow Dash and a bottle of Zap Apple jam from Applejack. In no time at all, the suitcase was full, though Twilight didn't have room to bring half of what she wanted. Twilight also collected Owlicious. The bird picked up on the general atmosphere and hooted sadly as he circled the room once and then landed on the alicorn's back.

The other five ponies accompanied her to the train station, where they waited for the midnight train to pull in the station and bear Twilight away to the capitol. Equestria's trains were known for being punctual, and the girls were concerned when it didn't come at twelve ten and were downright worried when it hadn't arrived by twelve thirty. Spike fell asleep resting against Twilight's wing and Rarity felt her eyes drooping; she was too tired to even feel sadness. Finally, at twelve forty, the train finally pulled into the station. A few other bedraggled ponies waited on the platform with them, heading back to their families in the capital or hoping to salvage stricken businesses in the wake of the sudden collapse of the Canterlot Industrial stock exchange.

"Oh, Twilight, we'll miss you so much!" Rainbow Dash said, jamming her muzzle into the side of Twilight's face.

"Ow!" Twilight complained. "I'll miss you too, Rainbow."

Rarity said, "Take care, darling. Please come home soon!"

"Who?"

Rarity blinked. "You!"

"Who?"

"What?"

"Hoo," Owlicious hooted for the third time.

Rarity looked chagrinned. "Just come home soon Twilight!"

"I'll do my best," Twilight promised.

"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, I promise to write you every day!" Pinkie swore. "No, two times a day! Three times a day! Sixteen times a day!"

Twilight smiled. "Thanks, Pinkie. I'll come to visit whenever I can."

"Aww, shucks," Applejack says. "I was never much good with goodbyes. Y'all take care now, ya hear?"

"I will."

"The animals and I will miss you very much, Twilight," Fluttershy said quietly.

"I'll miss you too. Tell Angel to behave for me while I'm gone!"

"Allllll abooooooard!" the conductor shouted with a forceful voice.

"Oh, I'd better go! Come on, Spike, unless you're sure you don't want to stay."

"I'm coming with you, Twilight," Spike answered.

"Let's go."

"Bye Twilight!"

"Take care, darling! Call if you need anything!"

"Come home soon, okay!?"

With that, Twilight Sparkle boarded the train to Ponyville. The conductor gave one more warning, and then the train slowly pulled away from the station, heading to Canterlot. The tired girls watched it go until it was nothing but a bright speck of light on the horizon.

The remaining five were far too exhausted to talk about anything further that night, and returned to their respective homes to get some much-needed shuteye. Rarity climbed into bed, and then shocked herself by sobbing for an uninterrupted hour.

**To be continued**


	2. The Worse, The Better

Over the next few weeks, things went from bad to worse. The stock exchange plummeted to unprecedented lows before finally stabilizing. After finding its lows, it ground along at a level a third of its previous high water mark. The prices of everything in Ponyville shot up to unbelievable highs. Many basic necessities were now as expensive as luxuries, and most luxuries were unattainable altogether. Shops closed, workers were furloughed, and a grim pall settled over the town.

Rarity was a cunning businesspony. Her keen eye for fashion also included an implicit understanding of which way the wind was blowing, and she put in a large order for heavy wool and sturdy cotton fabrics instead of her usual orders for silk and cashmere. Sure enough, orders for her elaborate dresses trickled to a halt. In fact, she still had several items of unsold inventory languishing in her store window.

"I'm telling you, Rarity," Applejack protested over tea. "I've never seen times so tough. I used to sell a bushel of apples for forty Bits, and now I ask sixty and practically lose money on the lot. At least the harvest was good this year; I dah'n know what I'd do otherwise."

Rarity sighed. "I know what you mean, dahling. I've lowered the price of that blue dress to 200 Bits, and it still doesn't sell. I spent 300 Bits just on materials – and that doesn't include all the work I did!"

The Ponyville Café was virtually empty. A few listless ponies chatted over coffee, but the social hub was now a pale shadow of its former self. It was almost too depressing for words, but compared to sitting around at home waiting for someone to come into their empty shops, it was a relief to actually get out for a civilized teatime.

"Ah just don't know what to do, Rarity," Applejack confided. "I hardly have enough Bits to invest in next year's growing season, and that's _if_ prices don't go up any higher."

"Well, I guess we all just do what we can," Rarity answered with a bitter laugh.

A chilly breeze blew through the café; the increased price of kerosene meant that the owners had to keep heating to a bare minimum despite the impending winter. Rarity looked over the rim of her teacup and out of the window. In the distance, she could see Rainbow Dash hollering at her work crew. They were trying to wrangle a particularly recalcitrant late autumn storm into its scheduled flight path, but it was fighting them every step of the way. Even Fluttershy had been press ganged into helping, and the yellow pegasus struggled against the traces with a flush that was obvious even from this distance. Rarity gave silent thanks that even if business _was_ terrible, at least she didn't have to perform manual labor in the sky.

The two ponies chatted about nothing for another hour, sipping down one cup of piping hot tea after the next. It warmed their bellies against the afternoon chill that crept into every building in Ponyville like a miasma. Rarity didn't look forward to spending the next few hours in her unheated shop; the only room in her house she still kept warm was her own bedroom. Opal hid there all day long now. Finally, with a long-suffering sigh, Applejack admitted she had to get back to work.

"There's still a few apples left on them trees yet Rarity. Probably not good for anything but cider-making now, but I don't dare waste a bushel," Applejack admitted.

The waiter soon came by with a bill.

"_Thirty_ Bits!?" Rarity exclaimed, aghast. "Wait, you charged us for the _water_?"

The waiter looked chagrinned. "I'm sorry, Miss Rarity. Kerosene to heat it costs money and we're all struggling to get by."

"This is an _outrage_! We've never been charged for water before," Rarity protested angrily.

"Now Rarity," Applejack interrupted. "Times is tough all around."

"Well! I never!"

Rarity paid their bill, with an unaccountably deep anger seething inside her.

Back inside her shop, Rarity could see her own breath in the cold. She wasn't likely to get a customer on a weekday afternoon with a storm brewing, so she went back to working on her new project. Instead of working with fine linen, she was now sewing rough and cottony wool into longjohns that would keep the ponies warm through the winter. The texture of the fabric was rough on her hooves. Nevertheless, elegant dresses and _haute couture_ was no longer what sold to increasingly impoverished ponies. Instead, she had to think of their needs and their budgets if she wanted to keep her business running.

Things were no better at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie was no longer slinging dainty pastries or exquisitely coiffed wedding cakes; instead, they prepared batch after batch of hot potato pies to help keep hardworking ponies on their feet. Despite the change in atmosphere, Pinkie Pie made an extra effort to maintain her characteristically cheerful demeanor. At least the heat of the ovens kept the interior of Mr. and Mrs. Cake's shop warmer than the rest of town.

"What'll it be?" Pinkie asked one grim-looking woman wearing a tattered headscarf.

The pony asked, "How much mumble mumble?"

"I'm sorry, could you say that again?" Pinkie Pie asked brightly.

"I've only got six Bits," the other pony admitted. "How much is a Potato à la Pinkie?"

Pinkie Pie sucked in air through her teeth and did a few quick calculations. The cost of the hearty pastry was actually nine Bits, but Pinkie didn't have the heart to turn the woman away. There was no doubt she was in for another lecture from the Cakes, but she couldn't say no to a pony in such obvious need.

"Six Bits is fine!" Pinkie announced with exaggerated cheer.

Sad, rheumy eyes looked up at her. "Are you sure, dear?"

"Of course!"

Bits changed hooves, and Pinkie handed the other pony the fattest potato pastry of the bunch. The woman took it and scurried out, as if afraid that Pinkie Pie would change her mind.

Up above Ponyville, a team of pegasi were struggling to get control of the mass of clouds and wind.

"Cappuccino! Fluttershy! Get the lead out!" Rainbow Dash bellowed.

"I'm… trying…" Fluttershy groaned, struggling against her traces.

Rainbow Dash knew that she was doing Ponyville no favors by dragging this chilly autumn storm over the town, but there was no help for it. If she didn't keep the seasons rolling, it could upset the delicate balance of Equestria's weather. If they didn't have storms this season, the upcoming winter could go on and on, barreling its way even into the following June. It upset her to know that the strong storm was bound to ruin signs and damage trees in the already distressed Ponyville, but if the scheduled storms were held off it would only make matters worse in the future.

Rainbow Dash called out, "Give it a tug on my mark! Three, two, one, _go!_"

As soon as she'd finished speaking, Rainbow grabbed a bit in her mouth and helped them tug on the storm. Slowly but surely, the mass of rain and hail and gale force winds surrendered to their pull, and found itself dragged along the required flight path. After a few more minutes of pulling, the storm finally had enough momentum to continue on its own. Rainbow Dash spat out the bit and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good job, you guys!" she called out, giving Cappuccino a high-five with her wings.

"Oh, dear," Fluttershy mumbled quietly. "I hope all my little friends will be okay."

Rainbow eyed the storm with concern.

"This one's a doozy!"

Then, seeing the look on Fluttershy's face, she quickly added, "but I'm sure they'll be fine."

At Sweet Apple Acres, the sky grew noticeably dark even though it was still only mid-afternoon. Applejack and the rest of the Apple family were out in the fields, trying to get as many of the last, overripe apples off the trees as possible before the autumn storm blew in. Big Mac and Red Delicious were dragging tarps over as many trees as they could manage, to protect them from the very real threat of hail.

"Oh, we'll never get this done in time," Applejack groaned out loud.

Applebloom ran to and fro, trying to catch as many of the falling apples as possible into a basket. "Just keep trying, sis!"

Soon, the winds began to pick up. Even Big Mac couldn't get any more tarps over the trees due to the buffeting of the wind. He and Red Delicious focused on staking the tarps they did manage to place into the ground, to keep them from blowing off and exposing the vulnerable trees below to the elements. There was a brief patter of rain. Fat, heavy drops fell from the sky and tickled their muzzles and hides. Then the first hailstone fell.

"Keep going!" Applejack insisted over the rising howl of the wind.

"We've done all we can!" Applebloom countered. "We've got to get inside!"

"Road apples!" Applejack swore.

"Come _on_, sis!" Applebloom said, practically dragging her sister by the tail back into their house.

Inside, they could hear hail hammering down on the roof of the house. Granny Smith fretted to and fro in the kitchen, worried for her beautiful trees.

The five friends had planned a sleepover that evening, and despite the harsh weather, they all agreed it was worth braving a few minutes out in the storm to keep their plans intact. Rarity covered herself with a heavy woolen cloak that was lined with a special fabric to keep out the worst of the rain and the chill. She carefully stepped out into the rain, and trotted down the streets of Ponyville, careful to avoid various mud puddles clogging up the dirt road. It was clear that the storm was already taking its toll on Ponyville. Tree branches cracked and split apart under the force of the strong winds, and the sign to Sugarcube Corner flailed wildly on its one remaining hinge. It was a profound relief when she finally made it to Fluttershy's house, and she pounded on the door with her hoof.

"Let me in, darling!" Rarity insisted.

Fluttershy was at the door in seconds.

"Oh, you're drenched," the pegasus observed apologetically. "Please come right in."

Rarity toweled off while the other four girls chatted and gossiped in Fluttershy's living room.

"Have there been any letters from Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked eagerly.

Pinkie answered, "Not since last week. The postal service only runs three days a week now. It sounds like she hardly has time to write anything at all, and somebody at the castle is redacting Twilight's letters! Listen to this one!"

Pinkie Pie cleared her throat, drew a letter out of her saddlebag, and read verbatim.

_Dear Girls,_

_ Things have been going [BLANK]. _

_ Princess Celestia has me running from one Cabinet meeting to another, taking on more and more of her responsibilities. I think she's [BLANK] that something [BLANK] is going to happen. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to balance the concerns of all of the Guilds and independent contractors – they're constantly at each other's throats, it's like all they care about is getting a bigger piece of the pie for themselves and not [BLANK] to support the economy. Sometimes I'm [BLANK] of what's going to happen._

_ The Princess has a new development plan and she's working hard to get all the Guilds to agree to it. In the meantime, everyone in the Castle is hopeful that negotiations with the Crystal Empire will be successful, and we'll be able to buy additional food and fuel from Princess Cadence with money saved in the Treasury. Soon, we should be able to distribute more supplies to Equestria's needy. I'm hopeful too, but a little [BLANK]._

_ Sorry, I'm already late to my next meeting. I love you girls, and I miss you all very, very much._

_ Twilight Sparkle_

"And that's all she's sent all month!" Pinkie protested angrily.

Fluttershy was conciliatory. "I'm sure she's doing her best. She sounds very busy."

Rainbow Dash shadow boxed in one corner. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but the cocksure pegasus was feeling helpless to affect positive change with everything seeming to slide downhill at once. Rarity entered Fluttershy's living room, and was relived to discover that the girl spared a little more than average on heating, and her house was actually quite warm. Practically every flat surface was filled to the brim with little furry animals, taking shelter from the storm that was rolling through Ponyville. There were ducks and badgers and bunnies and mice and hedgehogs and squirrels and even a few snakes, who'd put aside their ancestral conflict with the other creatures for now in order to escape their flooding tunnels. Once again, Rarity marveled at Fluttershy's ability to make peace among such disparate forces, if only temporarily.

There was a loud boom, and suddenly the lights went out. Rarity felt a mass of warm fur press itself against her legs.

"Eeeeeeeeeek!" Fluttershy shrieked.

Rainbow Dash laughed. "Don't worry, it was just the power going out. Do you have any candles?"

"Mm hmm," Fluttershy replied, still too scared to form words.

"Where are they?" R.D. demanded.

Fluttershy answered, "Mm hmmm mmmhmmm mmm mm mm."

"In the kitchen cabinet?"

"Mm hmm."

"Sheesh."

It took Rainbow Dash a few careful minutes to get to the kitchen and light some candles, avoiding stepping on any of Fluttershy's little friends along the way. Outside, the wind howled and rocked the windows inside their frames, and there was an occasional crash as a large tree branch split and fell off its mother tree. The hail had, fortunately, given way to rain, but it was a pounding, driving rain that thundered against the side of Fluttershy's house. Finally, there was a brief burst of light as Rainbow Dash got a few candles ignited. She brought them back to the living room and the five and all their woodland friends sat around her coffee table.

"Let's play a game," Pinkie Pie suggested.

Applejack asked, "What kind of game?"

"How about telling _spoooooky_ stories?" Rainbow said.

There was a sudden crash as a stray tree branch smashed into the side of Fluttershy's house.

"Or, maybe not," Rainbow admitted ruefully.

The noise had even scared her a little.

"What about telephone Pictionary?" Rarity said.

Pinkie agreed, "Ooh, yes!"

And so, the ponies and a few of their friends played the popular party game. Rarity wrote _a beautiful dress_, which Pinkie Pie interpreted with lots of streamers and balloons. Rainbow Dash assumed she meant _party_ (no great stretch coming from Pinkie Pie) and Applejack's drawing contained 800% more apple fritters than the average party. Fluttershy wrote _tasty apples for my woodland friends_ before the paper was passed around to several of the friendly animals crowding around waiting for their turn. By the time the paper came back to Rarity, it was all but illegible, but was written down was almost entirely unlike what she'd originally jotted down.

She announced, "It says, _wearing a dress to an apple party thrown by Fluttershy's favorite woodland creatures._ Well, I never!"

They all laughed.

When it finally came time to tuck in for the night, Rarity struggled to sleep despite the ongoing roar of the wind and crashing of flying debris. She hoped her shop was still okay. It seemed like forever between the time she finally laid down in sheets offered by Fluttershy and the time she actually fell asleep, and she had troubled dreams full of loud things clattering around in the dark.

When they awoke the next morning, the storm had finally blown over. Fluttershy offered to cook them all breakfast but Rarity turned her down.

"Thank you for the kind offer, dahling, but I simply must get back to my store and make sure everything's intact," the unicorn explained.

The previous night's storm had been the strongest in years, and signs of its passing were all over the streets of Ponyville. Large puddles of mud made the road difficult to navigate, and tree branches and leaves were strewn around everywhere, like toys after a toddler's temper tantrum. Several store windows were shattered. Signs were broken off their emplacements and thrown around the town, and even in the best of times it would be a week of cleanup before life could resume normally. She saw a work crew with yellow hardhats and orange vests from the utility company marching by in doubletime, off to repair the transformers that fed Ponyville energy from the hydroelectric dam upriver. Power lines were down all over and Rarity stepped carefully to avoid running across one.

All across town, ponies were coming out of their shops and homes and surveying the damage. Mr. and Mrs. Cake swept broken glass off the entrance to Sugarcube Corner, and proudly taped a home-made sign that said "We're open!" to the wall next to the shattered window. Rarity hurried back to her shop, and was dismayed to discover that the storm had not left the Carousel Boutique unscathed. Two large windows had been smashed by flying debris, and the floor was soaking wet from the rain and hail that entered her shop from the gaping wounds. She started work with a sigh.

First, she put all her mannequins and heavy woolen winterwear out in the sun to dry. She picked up a mop with her magic and conducted the slow task of sopping up all the water from the floor, wringing it from the absorbent cloth one mop-full at a time. She could hear the heavy banging of hammers and loud voices from the rest of town as the ponies nailed wooden boards over their broken windows and argued with suppliers in Canterlot about what could be supplied, when, and at what cost. The day was mercifully warm for late autumn, and bit by bit Rarity's mannequins dried.

A lunch, a young pony knocked on Rarity's open door, wearing a mailpony's uniform that was two sizes too large.

"Yes, dahling?" Rarity asked, trying to judge whether a bolt of silk that had been inundated and then shrunk would still be good for a filly's outfit.

"Miss Rarity, the Mayor is having a town hall meeting tonight, and all are encouraged to attend."

"Thank you. I shall certainly be there."

"Ma'am."

Rarity tipped him a Bit, knowing he was probably a volunteer.

That evening, the space outside Ponyville's Town Hall was as busy as Rarity had ever seen it. Ponies milled about outside, arguing, and Rarity winced when she heard genuine anger in their voices. The storm had done a lot of damage to the town, and people were expecting Mayor to find a way to fix it. The normally punctual Mayor finally came out from inside, twenty minutes late.

"Hello, citizens of Ponyville," the Mayor began.

"Oi! Where's the help Celestia promised!?" a male pony butted in, to the collective murmur of agreement.

"I… I'll get to that," Mayor stammered, her voice shaken. "Let me begin with the bad news, and it's not trivial. First, the PonyvillePass is washed out."

There was a collective gasp from the crowd. PonyvillePass was the link that connected Ponyville to Canterlot and the rest of Central Equestria, and the narrow, winding path supported both the main road and the arterial railway.

Mayor shouted over the increasingly agitated crowd, "Work crews are up there even as we speak! However, the damage done by mud and falling rock is extensive. It could be at least a month before the road is open again, and another month for the railway."

"But you said – " the angry male pony began.

Berry Punch interrupted diplomatically. "What does that _mean_, Miss Mayor?"

There was no mistaking the worry in Mayor's voice. "It means for the next month, Ponyville is virtually on its own."

"But I have a contract to deliver winter goods to Canterlot! It's the backbone of my business!" someone shouted.

Rarity was aghast when she realized that she was the one doing the shouting.

"Please, people!" Mayor stammered.

"There's still airmail," Cappuccino interrupted.

Filthy Rich, who'd made his money as a wholesale distributor, shot back, "That costs twice as much!"

Mayor lost her patience, and suddenly whistled at the top of her lungs. Everyone shut up immediately.

"It's not _all_ bad news," the Mayor said. "I got word from Canterlot today that the Princess' new economic program will begin in a few days. This town will get weekly relief shipments of grain and kerosene, and in return we'll provide them with apples and clothing. Miss Rarity, Miss Applejack, I believe you can help us out here?"

Rarity felt a lead weight settle in the pit of her stomach.

"I was expecting to fulfill my contracts in Canterlot, Mayor. I have barely enough wool as it is."

"Without that fuel, ponies will freeze," someone in the crowd pointed out.

"But I-"

Applejack interrupted, "We'll do our best, Miss Mayor. I promise."

"Applejack, what are you _doing_?" Rarity hissed under her breath.

The stalwart replied, "Everything will turn out for the best."

Soon, the meeting was concluded, and everyone returned to their respective homes and businesses to argue about the efficacy of the plan. Rarity was quietly furious. The quota she'd been given made it impossible for her to fulfill all her contracts in Canterlot; she'd have to cancel at least a third of her assignments to have enough materials to meet the sum mandated by the Mayor. And the terms of compensation weren't exactly agreeable, either – she wouldn't be paid in Bits, but rather, a scrip that would put her first in line for any goods coming in by air from the rest of Equestria. Rarity idly despaired at how she would pay for more cloth when the next Spring rolled around.

Rarity worked late into the night, trying to make her shop presentable enough for any customers who came the next day.

**To be continued**


	3. The Circus Comes to Town

As the icy hand of winter stretched across Equestria, things in Ponyville only got more challenging. Agriculture was big business in the pleasant backwater, and with the fields buried beneath a foot and a half of snow, the town's many farms were now surviving off of what they'd saved for the winter. Minus, of course, the quota of goods sent to Canterlot. Rarity worked twelve hour days. She was trying desperately to sew enough heavy cloaks and long underwear to both meet the quotas demanded by Princess Celestia's New Deal and sell enough on the side to keep the Carousel in business through the winter. It was tough going. Rarity couldn't get much from the desperate ponies in return for her hoofiwork, and though she was now willing to compromise on quality and hire an assistant, there was no way she could afford it on her meager income.

The only good thing to be said was that unlike some Ponyville residents, Rarity always had kerosene for her furnace.

"What do you mean, not at any price?" Rarity said into the phone angrily. "I need to repair the windows of my shop!"

The glassmaker was apologetic. "I'm sorry, Miss Rarity. I'm already backordered for three months. I simply can't take any new orders at this time."

"But I've called everywhere from Canterlot to Manehattan! Why is it so hard to get a replacement window? Carousel Boutique looks simply awful with plywood nailed over the open frames."

"It can't be helped. Getting the raw materials from my suppliers has been hard enough as it is, and I'll be lucky if they manage to fill half my order."

Rarity hung up the phone and cursed. Part of the boutique's success came from its atmosphere, and there wasn't much of an atmosphere remaining since two of her beautiful plate glass windows were now reduced just boarded up holes.

Fluttershy was surprised by a knock at her cottage door. She timidly opened it, peering through a small crack.

"Hello?"

"Mail," said a languid-sounding earth pony whom Fluttershy had never seen in town before.

The new postpony was male, with a rich brown coat and a little bit of stubble dusting up his muzzle. He was wearing a long, woolen jacket to keep out the chilly winter that was sidling through the open door into the cottage. Fluttershy opened the door and took the envelope he was offering.

"Oh, thank you very much."

Fluttershy felt something brush up against her hind legs, and she realized that Angel had come out of the warm kitchen in order to glare at the interloper. The mailpony looked down, surprised, and Angel cowered behind her yellow legs.

"Oh, he's cute," the man said. "What's his name?"

"Oh, that's Angel. He's a little shy," Fluttershy explained.

"I used to have a pet bunny myself, when I was a colt. The best friend a pony could have."

"What happened to him?"

The mailpony looked at her with a hint of hardness in his eyes. "Nobody lives forever. He got sick, and passed away peacefully in his sleep at a ripe old age."

Fluttershy felt her heart fall. The cycles of nature might interlock in a single harmonious clockwork, but that didn't make the winter of endings any easier to bear when they showed up on the doorstep of a loved one. She felt guilty for bringing it up.

"But no harm done," the mailpony said, interrupting her moment of awkward introspection. "I'm just glad to have had as much time as I did with Old Man Ears. Taught me a lot, he did."

Fluttershy replied, "Oh, Angel teaches me a lot, too. Raising him is a great way to learn patience, kindness, courage, and trust."

"My name is Cocoa Malt. I'm new in town. I used to run a soda counter in Fillydelphia, but there's not so many people who can afford sweets at a time like this, so I had to close up and come to Ponyville looking for work. I was lucky to get this job, and at least I still have a chance to talk to people. What's your name?"

"Fluttershy," the peagsus answered timidly.

"I have to get back to my rounds, but do you want to go get a coffee some time?"

Fluttershy squeaked with surprise. Was Cocoa Malt asking for a date? She'd never been on a real date before; of course, there had been instances of puppy love when she was nothing more than a filly, but her shy demeanor and animal-oriented career made most of the male ponies in town consider her unapproachable. Her thoughts flashed at a hundred miles a minute and she could feel her heartbeat speeding up from nervousness. Not knowing what to say, she panicked.

"Umidon'tknowmaybesomeothertime," she whispered, before slamming the door shut and running to her room.

Cocoa Malt looked up at her window, now more curious than ever about what was going through the head of the shy yellow pegasus.

Meanwhile, Applejack dragged a heavy plow down the main street in Ponyville. With Sweet Apple Acres all but closed during the winter months, Applejack usually found herself itching for more work after just a couple weeks of rest time after the harvest. Every morning, after she fed and chatted with the livestock that worked on the farm, she took a huge plow downtown in order to clean snow off of the streets. All of the local businesses chipped to thank her for her effort, and they paid her for her work in pies, small gifts, and the occasional hoof full of Bits. Tips were light this year due to the economy, but it was still enough for Applejack.

She heard a series of thumps behind her, and she set down the plow and turned around, curious. A pony she'd never seen before was nailing posters to street lights in the wake of Applejack's freshly cleared street.

"What's that for?" Applejack asked curiously.

The tired, but excited-sounding pony answered her. "Kerin Sky is coming to town to speak tonight!"

"Kerin Sky? Who's that?"

"He's an _internationally_ famous economist and public speaker! He knows just the cure for what ails Equestria."

"Is that so, huh?" Applejack inwardly shrugged; economics didn't sound that exciting to her.

"And there's going to be free food," the other pony went on.

"I'm there!"

The other pony hurried on to the next streetlight, and Applejack read the poster curiously.

**Come one, come all, and hear the renowned economist Kerin Sky speak!**

**Tonight at City Hall**

**20:00 Hours**

**He's got the cure for what ails you.**

_It's been over four months since the economic crisis hit Equestria, and despite the fervent pleas of the proletariat to do more for all the suffering families, the monarchy is still deaf to the needs of real people! Listen to Kerin Sky for a better tomorrow!_

**Equality! Justice! Freedom!**

The picture in the background was a male pony wearing a beret looking resolutely into the far distance, illuminated by a bright yellow sun. Applejack eyed the poster dubiously. That didn't sound like the Princess Celestia that she knew. Still, nothing interesting had happened in Ponyville for what seemed like weeks, and besides; the other pony had promised free food. Applejack took up the plow and got back to work.

Pinkie Pie was dripping sweat. The ovens in Sugarcube Corner were blazing hot, and each time she finally got a platter of hot potato pastries into the oven to cook, another one was ready to come out. To make matters worse, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake were zooming around underfoot. There was the constant danger that one would trip her and get a muzzleful of hot pastries dropped on them in response.

"Where are your parents?" Pinkie groaned aloud, narrowly avoiding crashing into a hopping Pound.

Of course, Pinkie Pie knew very well where Mr. and Mrs. Cake were. Though irregular, the trains were finally running again, and the Cakes were able to attend the annual Baker's Guild conference in the Equestrian capital. There, they would be kept abreast of all the latest developments in the world of baking, from electronic thermometers to the latest confectionary fads to recipes for imported teff. That left Pinkie Pie alone to run the shop – and to desperately try to keep the twins from ruining everything they touched.

"Hey, where's my pie?" someone demanded at the counter. "I have to be back at work in ten minutes!"

"Cooooming!" Pinkie announced as she burned her hoof on a hot burner. "Yow!"

The pink earth pony gave the customer a steaming potato pie in a paper wrapper, only in time to serve the next customer in the long line that made it all the way to the door and then snaked around again towards the counter. Back in the kitchen, something beeped relentlessly.

The winter days were short, and the sun dipped towards the horizon.

Applejack asked over the phone, "Are you going to go see that Karin Sky feller tonight?"

"I don't know, darling," Rarity answered listlessly. "I don't have anything new to wear."

"Everybody else is going; it looks like the whole town might turn out. Of course we'd be glad if y'all came out."

"Oh, alright. Maybe if I accessorize nobody will notice that I'm wearing last year's Hearth's Warming dress."

And so it was that Rarity showed up to Karin Sky's lecture, looking radiant despite her year-old attire. True to Applejack's word, it looked like just about everyone in Ponyville was there. A long line snaked around the snacks table in the back; Rarity could easily guess that more ponies were there for free grub rather than to hear some boring lecture about economics. After a few minutes of looking, she finally found the rest of her friends standing towards the back of the room, chatting loudly to be heard over the din of the crowded conference hall.

"Who is this Karin Sky anyway?" Rainbow Dash demanded. "_I've_ never heard of him."

Applejack answered, "I think he's from foreign parts."

Meanwhile, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie whispered to each other conspiratorially.

"And what did you say to him?" Pinkie asked.

Fluttershy looked down at the floor.

"Well?" Pinkie insisted.

"Um, I actually didn't say anything," Fluttershy finally admitted. "I closed the door on him and ran upstairs."

Pinkie was aghast. "That wasn't very nice!"

"I know. I just panicked. I had no idea what to say."

"Well, did you want to go out with him?"

Fluttershy stared at her hooves. "I don't know."

"Well, next time you see him, you should say something to him! It's not fair to leave him hanging like that."

"I know," Fluttershy said with a sigh. "I was just so _nervous_."

After a few more minutes, a pony finally got onto the stage and tapped on the microphone. The chattering of the crowd slowly trickled off to a silence interrupted only by a few whispers.

"People of Ponyville, I want you all to welcome tonight's speaker, Mr. Karin Sky!"

The crowd clapped politely, though they were not much moved by the introduction. Still, their bellies were full of baklava and tea from a huge samovar, so they were generally well disposed towards whatever their lecturer had to say. A sea-foam green colored earth pony wearing a beret took the stage and got behind a podium. His cutie mark was a grayscale rainbow, overlaid with a sickle.

"Greetings, ponies," he said with a strong foreign accent. "As you can see, my name is Karin Sky. I am here today to tell you a few things about the oppression of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie, and what you can do to secure your economic liberty.

"To understand the current crisis that grips Equestria, you must first understand its basic causes. You must be able to see that the root of all poverty is private ownership. The bourgeoisie, who own the means of production in the form of mines and factories and farms, are able to use the proletariat – that is, the workers – to do their labor, while they retain the surplus of production in the form of profit. Instead of distributing this surplus to the workers they hoard it for themselves. This is the basic source of inequality.

"Shouldn't a pony be entitled to the surplus value created by their own hooves? We say – of course! It is only because the means of production are owned privately, rather than in public trust, that the bourgeoisie are able to monopolize the surplus for themselves."

A quiet murmur went across the crowd. Nopony had ever really thought of it that way before. Karin Sky went on.

"And what has the Royal government done to solve this crisis? They have papered over it with a few meager policies that do nothing to address the basic problem, which is private ownership. Until the means of production are nationalized and turned over to the public, there can be no long-term solution to Equestria's economic problems."

"But I own a farm!" Applejack cried out angrily.

Karin Sky turned to her, singling her out with his eyes.

"And you retain the surplus production for yourself. You sell it for a profit in Ponyville's marketplace, taking money from other hardworking ponies and using it to solely benefit yourself."

Applejack wasn't giving up so easily. "I work hard too! Why shouldn't I sell the apples I grew?"

"But you were only able to grow them for personal profit because you own the farm. If everyone owned the farm, the profit would be owned by everyone, not just a single greedy individual looking to maximize their own interest over those of everypony else."

Applejack simmered angrily, but couldn't think of a suitable retort.

"There is a solution!" Karin cried passionately, thumping the lectern for effect. "We must abolish private ownership of the means of production, and put the power into the hands of everypony, and not just a few landowners who are able to suck everyone else dry for personal gain. A new, revolutionary state must nationalize the systems of communication and transportation, and the issuance of credit and the education of fillies and colts. History, my fellow ponies, is teleological in character. It progresses from tribalism, to monarchism, to feudalism, to capitalism, and finally and inevitably it must progress into communism. The public ownership of production is the end point of history."

The other ponies were enthralled by Karin's speaking power, but Applejack retained her clarity of mind. Behind the philosopher's mellifluous words there lurked a quiet, fearful realization Applejack just couldn't shake.

"He means taking my farm," she said silently to herself.

No one else seemed to understand the implications.

The speech went on for a full hour, and Karin Sky took up specifics that related to Ponyville directly. The ponies were shocked to realize just how many important resources were owned by private individuals who were only looking for profit. The train station was owned by a Canterlot-based corporation, and all the farms in town were owned by families who had gotten them through inheritance, not hard work. Ponyville's furniture factory was owned by shareholders rather than the public, and every Bit of profit that went into their coffers was a Bit taken from those who needed it more. When the speech was over, Karin Sky didn't mingle; he and his entourage spirited off to the train station, off to speak at the next town.

Despite his cogent speaking, it was obvious that not all of the crowd was taken in by Karin Sky's plans. The ponies who owned the farms and the factories were naturally rather less enthralled at the idea of being demoted from owner to public employee. However, the younger and the poorer ponies saw the reason in Karin's plan. The idea of being a co-owner of the farms and factories was much more appealing than just being hired help. After all, why should they have to work to fill others' wallets with Bits, just because those ponies had been rich or fortunate enough to stumble into the private ownership of these facilities?

One thing was clear: the owners were outnumbered by the employees.

A few of the town's poorer ponies stood outside City Hall and started to chant.

"We want ownership! We want equality! We want ownership! We want equality!"

Rarity and her four friends hurried past, and got a table at Ponyville Café, which was buzzing with people talking about Karin Sky's speech.

"Oh, I wish Twilight were here," Applejack announced with a groan. "She'd know what to do. His plan means to take my farm!"

Rarity was more reserved. "Perhaps it's not as bad as all that, darling. You're the best farmer in all of Ponyville; I'm sure they'd realize that, and leave you in charge of Sweet Apple Acres."

"But that's not the same thing, Rarity," Applejack protested. "That farm's been my entire life. It's been in the Apple family for generations!"

"Didn't he say that was the problem, though?" Fluttershy asked tentatively. "After all, you were born into ownership of Sweet Apple Acres, which means no one else gets a chance to profit from it."

"But profit comes from the work I put in! When I tend a grove of apple trees, I'm taking raw land and raw labor and making apples where there wasn't none before! And then everyone gets to eat my apples, and they pay me for all the work I did." Applejack knew there was something inherently faulty in Karin's premise, but it was hard to grasp, like a bar of slippery soap.

Meanwhile, the crowd from outside City Hall had taken to the streets. They were marching and keeping up their chant. Despite the cold air, they seemed determined to keep the words echoing between the homes and shops until well into the night.

"We want ownership! We want equality! We want ownership! We want equality!"

Over the next few weeks, the atmosphere in Ponyville began to change. Where once there was anxiety, now there was fear, and strangers in heavy cloaks came into the town from far-off places. Shops were vandalized. Graffiti appeared on walls as if by magic, and stencils of Kerin Sky's proud, resolute face illuminated by the sun were painted onto every other building. The slogan of the communists began appearing everywhere in town; _We want ownership. We want equality._ It was scrawled into outhouse walls and into tables at Ponyville Café. A new gang, seemingly aligned with the communists and calling themselves Acquisitions & Expropriations, harassed those they deemed bourgeoisie on the streets and "nationalized" small items from Ponyville shops. A few of their members were arrested but soon released due to lack of evidence.

"What is going_ on_?" Rarity groaned the next time the friends got together for tea.

Applejack answered, "I don't know, but I do know I don't like it! Just this morning when I came out of the house to chat with the cows, I found an apple sitting on my porch – with an arrow shot through it! Who ever heard of a thing like that happening in Ponyville? It's got me all riled up."

"And all those awful rallies," Rainbow Dash added. "You can hear them echoing all the way up to Cloudsdale."

"I don't like it. Ain't none of this bodes well," Applejack added ominously.


End file.
